It is possibly worth pointing out that the ‘game year’ tends to be backloaded and there may well be things coming in the next few months that change everyone’s mind!
Hellblade 2 is my favourite, really enjoyed that one. I found it totally immersive and the only game I’ve played on Series X or PS5 to date that lives up to the ‘next gen’ billing.
I’ve been playing Classified: France ‘44 on the Free Try Day. It’s basically a WW2 XCOM - you build a squad, do turn-based missions to do things like blow up bridges or raid supply dumps in the countdown to D-Day. There’s also a strategic level, where you have to gain strength in regions and grow relationships with other resistance factions. Pretty good I think!
I had a GameCube but I bought my mate’s Xbox plus games off him for £50 - he was raising funds for a 360. I traded most of the games in for GTA San Andreas (I can remember looking enviously at the PS2 owners queuing for it in Game while I looked at the sparse selection of ‘Cube games!) and played it and played it and played it…
Missing out on spending a lot of money? My PS5 hasn’t really done enough to justify what I paid for it yet, so I’m not inclined to buy a more expensive one.
I don’t mind ‘fail if you are caught’ missions, in fact I quite like them. I haven’t found the stealth missions I’ve played so far in Outlaws too challenging. It’s satisfying to get in and out of somewhere without firing a shot or being seen at all.
I started Dustborn on Series X - it sounded like the sort of thing I might like and happily it is. I wasn’t keen on the characters at first - they seemed too ‘about what you’d expect’ in a game and the story throws you in at the deep end a bit, but they become more sympathetic once you learn their backstories and what is going on.
I’m also going to progress a bit in 7 Days to Die. My massacre of the day 56 blood moon horde from my ranger tower caused overconfidence on my part, demonstrated when the day 63 horde brought the tower crashing down on top of me.
So it’s out on PS5 for £70 in April? Whatever. 🤷♂️ I’ll have finished it on Game Pass in December. In six months’ time it’ll be old news, chip wrapping.
I’ve been getting on with 7 Days to Die. I finally acquired the ability to craft a mini motorcycle! On the downside, I managed to spoil a long run of staying alive by accidentally falling off the ranger tower I was defending on a blood moon night.☹️
Get rid of the reviews for Game Pass games or require a minimum play-time or a purchase before allowing them. That would hopefully get rid of the idiot toddlers telling us that a game they haven’t played is ‘woke DEI trash’.
I wonder if all these new delays are because the games aren’t finished or because the developers don’t want to release into a crowded marketplace? Either way, I’ll still get to play them in the end so I’m not too fussed.
Playing This Bed We Made, which I picked up after reading the story on this site the other day. So far so good, as it’s set in Montreal I chose French dialogue with English subtitles.
I’ll also probably do some more on 7 Days to Die, I’m on day 32 now, a lot better armed and equipped and now starting to take on some more challenging places.
If I have time, I may also take a look at the remastered Dooms.
I bought the new 1.0 version and am loving it. If you enjoyed Grounded or The Long Dark you will certainly enjoy it. I’m just coming up to 28 days and have come to the conclusion that it’s better to have a separate base for the Blood Moon nights - I don’t want my nice home base getting trashed!
A pretty strong month with something for everyone. Case of the Golden Idol was my favourite, I really enjoyed solving the scenarios and the story is terrific. I ended up buying both the DLC levels too, which are also great and are a prequel to the main game.
7 Days to Die 1.0 on Series X. Addicted to the gameplay loop now and have acquired a bicycle which makes getting round the map a lot easier. This gives me more time to make some steps towards self-sufficiency in food and water.
Having picked up a bit of a buzz about the 1.0 version, I bought 7 Days to Die. Really enjoying it! I can see myself sinking hours into this one. I did my usual thing for this sort of game - played until I knew what I was doing and then restarted for a proper run. Great fun if you enjoyed things like Grounded or The Long Dark.
I finished Tchia on Game Pass. I enjoyed playing it, but I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and I was expecting more story. I’d say it was worth a look if you want a Zelda-ish game.
Having really enjoyed Case of the Golden Idol last weekend, I’m playing the two dlc’s this weekend, ‘Spider of Lanka’ and ‘Lemurian Vampire’. They each have three scenarios, set at the more challenging end of those in the main game, again with an interesting and clever overarching story. Very pleased to hear that a sequel is coming out this year.
I’m also chilling out with a bit of ‘Humanity’ when my brain starts to hurt too much.
Back in the 360 days I can remember a copy of Avatar: Burning Earth going around my friend group so we could all get the 1,000 points. It took about 2 minutes and if anything, made the resale value of the game hold up!
@adderblack39 Not as hard as Obra Dinn, but there are some challenging scenarios. In a couple of cases I simply couldn’t understand how they could be solved with the limited amount of clues provided, but everything needed is there and I did! In some cases the clues you need are contained in earlier scenarios and you have to revisit them. Also, like Obra Dinn, the overarching story is a good one.
Today, I’ll be finishing off the Case of the Golden Idol, which I started yesterday. Really enjoying this one, the same sort of deductive, thinky game as Return of the Obra Dinn or Botany Manor. I’ve seen some criticism of the visual style, but it has grown on me. I’m down to the last few chapters, but I think I’ll buy the dlc as well.
I downloaded Golden Idol, which looks like an engrossing game for my upcoming day off. I might try the cricket one (let’s see if we get a summer at some point!) but it’s quite a tricky sport to make a decent game of.
More Fallout 4. Having a great time - funny, I don’t remember enjoying it half as much when I first played it about seven years ago. The improved graphics help. As I’ve got Monday off, I’m certainly going to give Still Wakes the Deep a go.
I’ll also try to make the most of the sunshine, since we had to wait six and a half months for it!
It’d be a toss-up between Lair of the Shadow Broker or Citadel. Actually, I’d probably go for the latter. It was entertaining to play but also funny and full of fanservice.
Comments 341
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Favourite Xbox Game Of The Year So Far?
It is possibly worth pointing out that the ‘game year’ tends to be backloaded and there may well be things coming in the next few months that change everyone’s mind!
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Favourite Xbox Game Of The Year So Far?
Hellblade 2 is my favourite, really enjoyed that one. I found it totally immersive and the only game I’ve played on Series X or PS5 to date that lives up to the ‘next gen’ billing.
Re: 'Reynatis' Dev Explains Lack Of Xbox Version, Says There's Not Enough Demand In Japan
Perhaps someone could explain to him that countries other than Japan exist?
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 14-15)
I’ve been playing Classified: France ‘44 on the Free Try Day. It’s basically a WW2 XCOM - you build a squad, do turn-based missions to do things like blow up bridges or raid supply dumps in the countdown to D-Day. There’s also a strategic level, where you have to gain strength in regions and grow relationships with other resistance factions. Pretty good I think!
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Fondest Memories Of The Original Xbox?
I had a GameCube but I bought my mate’s Xbox plus games off him for £50 - he was raising funds for a 360. I traded most of the games in for GTA San Andreas (I can remember looking enviously at the PS2 owners queuing for it in Game while I looked at the sparse selection of ‘Cube games!) and played it and played it and played it…
Re: Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (September 12-15)
@jesse_dylan I think I’ll try that one too. TBS + WW2! What’s not to like?
Re: Xbox Is Cutting 650 More Jobs, Confirms Phil Spencer In Letter To Employees
The civil service may be relatively dull, but at least they don’t lay us all off if we implement an unsuccessful policy…
Re: Xbox Series X Vs. PS5 Pro: What Are We Missing Out On?
Missing out on spending a lot of money? My PS5 hasn’t really done enough to justify what I paid for it yet, so I’m not inclined to buy a more expensive one.
Re: Star Wars Outlaws Will Tweak Its 'Unfair' Stealth In Next Xbox Patch
I don’t mind ‘fail if you are caught’ missions, in fact I quite like them. I haven’t found the stealth missions I’ve played so far in Outlaws too challenging. It’s satisfying to get in and out of somewhere without firing a shot or being seen at all.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 7-8)
Some 7 Days to Die - did the day 105 blood moon and died. Need to improve the base I’ve been using for these levels.
Also had the chance to put some more time into Star Wars Outlaws, which I’m now enjoying a lot after the initial ‘what am I doing’ phase.
Re: It's Been 365 Days Since One Of The Biggest Releases Of The Xbox Series X|S Era
It’s a bit like Cyberpunk 2077 - they keep promising new features and I keep holding off from playing it until they arrive!
Re: Reaction: Xbox Focusing On 'Blockbuster Games' Should Be No Surprise After The Failure Of Concord
Heartbreaking for the developers. We all know what’s coming next for them. What a rotten industry it seems to be.
Re: Review: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (Xbox) - Swarm Tech Shines In A Superbly Brutal Co-Op Shooter
Bit disappointed to learn that the co-op is only 3 players. The group I play with is generally 4 or 5. ☹️
Re: Review: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (Xbox) - Swarm Tech Shines In A Superbly Brutal Co-Op Shooter
Sounds great, I hope I can persuade my Horde pals to get it too - after 750+ hours of playing Gears 5 Horde it is getting pretty stale!
Re: These Five Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (September 3-17)
I do enjoy the train sim games, they are oddly relaxing.
Re: Obsidian Says Avowed Is Running 'Really, Really Well' On Xbox Series X, Despite 30FPS Target
For all the negativity (to which I admit contributing a bit) I have a feeling that this might turn out to be a really good game.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 24-25)
I started Dustborn on Series X - it sounded like the sort of thing I might like and happily it is. I wasn’t keen on the characters at first - they seemed too ‘about what you’d expect’ in a game and the story throws you in at the deep end a bit, but they become more sympathetic once you learn their backstories and what is going on.
I’m also going to progress a bit in 7 Days to Die. My massacre of the day 56 blood moon horde from my ranger tower caused overconfidence on my part, demonstrated when the day 63 horde brought the tower crashing down on top of me.
Re: Obsidian Confirms That Avowed Runs At 30FPS On Xbox Series X|S
I do hope that at some point they will announce something - anything - about this game that makes me want to play it.
Re: Roundup: All The Big Reveals From Xbox's First Gamescom 2024 Livestream
Atomfall looks interesting!
Re: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Preview - MachineGames' Latest Xbox Adventure Is Looking Whip-Smart
So it’s out on PS5 for £70 in April? Whatever. 🤷♂️ I’ll have finished it on Game Pass in December. In six months’ time it’ll be old news, chip wrapping.
Re: These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (August 19-23)
Dustborn looks alright, might check it out. Quantic Dream games tend to get ‘Marmite’ reviews, but I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve played.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 17-18)
I’ve been getting on with 7 Days to Die. I finally acquired the ability to craft a mini motorcycle! On the downside, I managed to spoil a long run of staying alive by accidentally falling off the ranger tower I was defending on a blood moon night.☹️
Re: Talking Point: What Improvements Would You Like To See Made To The Xbox Store?
Get rid of the reviews for Game Pass games or require a minimum play-time or a purchase before allowing them. That would hopefully get rid of the idiot toddlers telling us that a game they haven’t played is ‘woke DEI trash’.
Re: Xbox Insider Insists Forza Horizon 5 Will Go Multiplatform At Some Point
Metro had an interesting point about FH5 - it has a finite lifespan due to the licensed properties in it (see FH4) so why not cash in?
Re: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Another Xbox Game To Slip Into 2025
I wonder if all these new delays are because the games aren’t finished or because the developers don’t want to release into a crowded marketplace? Either way, I’ll still get to play them in the end so I’m not too fussed.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 10-11)
Playing This Bed We Made, which I picked up after reading the story on this site the other day. So far so good, as it’s set in Montreal I chose French dialogue with English subtitles.
I’ll also probably do some more on 7 Days to Die, I’m on day 32 now, a lot better armed and equipped and now starting to take on some more challenging places.
If I have time, I may also take a look at the remastered Dooms.
Re: 1950s Mystery Game 'This Bed We Made' Is Getting A Second Wind On Xbox Right Now
I hadn’t heard of this, but it sounds like my sort of thing, so I bought it.
Re: Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 Allows You To 'Exit The Plane' And Walk Around
@GeeEssEff I thought the landing training was pretty good, but it’s still the hardest thing about flying! I often seem to run out of runway…
Re: 7 Days To Die 1.0 Version Continues To 'Break Records' As Free Trial Goes Live On Xbox
I bought the new 1.0 version and am loving it. If you enjoyed Grounded or The Long Dark you will certainly enjoy it. I’m just coming up to 28 days and have come to the conclusion that it’s better to have a separate base for the Blood Moon nights - I don’t want my nice home base getting trashed!
Re: Pick One: What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Game In July 2024?
A pretty strong month with something for everyone. Case of the Golden Idol was my favourite, I really enjoyed solving the scenarios and the story is terrific. I ended up buying both the DLC levels too, which are also great and are a prequel to the main game.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 3-4)
7 Days to Die 1.0 on Series X. Addicted to the gameplay loop now and have acquired a bicycle which makes getting round the map a lot easier. This gives me more time to make some steps towards self-sufficiency in food and water.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 27-28)
Having picked up a bit of a buzz about the 1.0 version, I bought 7 Days to Die. Really enjoying it! I can see myself sinking hours into this one. I did my usual thing for this sort of game - played until I knew what I was doing and then restarted for a proper run. Great fun if you enjoyed things like Grounded or The Long Dark.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 27-28)
I finished Tchia on Game Pass. I enjoyed playing it, but I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and I was expecting more story. I’d say it was worth a look if you want a Zelda-ish game.
Re: Two More Games Quietly Announced For Xbox Game Pass In 2024
There’s always a new game drought over summer, it’s nothing new. It gives you a chance to clear some of the previous winter’s backlog!
Re: Hands On: Call Of Duty MW3's Campaign Is Here For A Good Time, But A Short Time
176GB! It’ll probably take longer to download it than it will to play the campaign.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 20-21)
Having really enjoyed Case of the Golden Idol last weekend, I’m playing the two dlc’s this weekend, ‘Spider of Lanka’ and ‘Lemurian Vampire’. They each have three scenarios, set at the more challenging end of those in the main game, again with an interesting and clever overarching story. Very pleased to hear that a sequel is coming out this year.
I’m also chilling out with a bit of ‘Humanity’ when my brain starts to hurt too much.
Re: Review: Dungeons Of Hinterberg (Xbox) - Solid Dungeons & Superb Vibes Make For A Fun Hipster Holiday On Game Pass
I downloaded it, but I notice that it doesn’t appear to have any achievements. 🤷♂️
Re: Rumour: Indie Hit 'Dave The Diver' Set For Xbox Game Pass Launch This Month
I’ve got it on PS5, I just haven’t got around to playing it. I think the prospect of getting some achievements might motivate me to do so on Xbox.
Re: Easy 1000G Achievements Suddenly Added To 60+ Xbox Games
Back in the 360 days I can remember a copy of Avatar: Burning Earth going around my friend group so we could all get the 1,000 points. It took about 2 minutes and if anything, made the resale value of the game hold up!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 13-14)
@adderblack39 Not as hard as Obra Dinn, but there are some challenging scenarios. In a couple of cases I simply couldn’t understand how they could be solved with the limited amount of clues provided, but everything needed is there and I did! In some cases the clues you need are contained in earlier scenarios and you have to revisit them. Also, like Obra Dinn, the overarching story is a good one.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 13-14)
Today, I’ll be finishing off the Case of the Golden Idol, which I started yesterday. Really enjoying this one, the same sort of deductive, thinky game as Return of the Obra Dinn or Botany Manor. I’ve seen some criticism of the visual style, but it has grown on me. I’m down to the last few chapters, but I think I’ll buy the dlc as well.
Re: Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 9)
I downloaded Golden Idol, which looks like an engrossing game for my upcoming day off. I might try the cricket one (let’s see if we get a summer at some point!) but it’s quite a tricky sport to make a decent game of.
Re: These Eight Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (July 3-16)
Golden Idol looks good - I like games like Paradise Killer and Return of the Obra Dinn and this looks like it will be similar.
Re: Pick One: Which Game From This Year's Xbox Showcase Are You Most Excited For?
Plenty to look forward to, but the new Life is Strange game was a big surprise, I very much enjoy the series and wasn’t aware a new one was imminent.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 22-23)
More Fallout 4. Having a great time - funny, I don’t remember enjoying it half as much when I first played it about seven years ago. The improved graphics help. As I’ve got Monday off, I’m certainly going to give Still Wakes the Deep a go.
I’ll also try to make the most of the sunshine, since we had to wait six and a half months for it!
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Favourite Xbox Expansion Of All Time?
It’d be a toss-up between Lair of the Shadow Broker or Citadel. Actually, I’d probably go for the latter. It was entertaining to play but also funny and full of fanservice.
Re: Ubisoft Leads The Way In This Week's Selection Of Xbox Deals (June 18-25)
Might have a look at Skull & Bones at half price.
Re: Xbox Set To Miss Out On Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection
I confess to complete indifference. If I’d wanted to play niche Japanese stuff I probably wouldn’t have bought an Xbox in the first place. 🤷♂️
Re: Preview: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is A Confident Return for BioWare
Looks good to me! I’m hoping for something tighter than DA:O, more like DA2, although I’d quite like my pirate girlfriend back.
Re: South Of Midnight Gets Gameplay Reveal, Coming To Xbox Game Pass In 2025
This looked weird and interesting. The big fish reminded me of ‘The Singing Ringing Tree’! 😄